1 Timothy

1 Timothy 4:1-5

Paul indicated that the Spirit expressly said this.  This is likened to the Old Testament prophetic declaration, “Thus sayeth the Lord!”  We don’t know whether Paul was giving prophecy as he wrote or if he was repeating a prophecy. 

The Spirit said it expressly so as to have a definite purpose and a specific intention for saying this.  The Spirit said "In the latter times."  The "latter times" is the time from the ascension of Jesus when he went to be seated at the right hand of the Father, to the return of Jesus when the Father says to the son, "Go get your church."  So this latter time is a specific season, it's a fixed time.  Paul lived in these later times, as do we.  The early church believed they were living in the last days, as every generation since was supposed to live.  During these latter times, there are some particular things that are going to happen. 

Some will depart from the faith.  This breaks our heart.  When someone leaves the faith, walks away from the church family.  They instead give heed to other things that become more important to them.  Whatever these things are, Paul called them “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”  They are deceptions to draw people away from truth and the gospel.  The enemy can’t steal our faith.  However, he can tempt us and entice us and we have the freedom to walk away. 

One of the saddest stories of someone walking away from the faith is a man named Charles Templeton.  He was a friend of Billy Graham.  In fact, he was considered a greater evangelist than Billy.  He was the one who was expected to travel the globe and preach the gospel.  The two men, Charles and Billy, traveled together ministering and evangelizing.  Then, about a decade later, he publicly declared himself agnostic.  He walked away.  One particular conversation between them stood out as a turning point.  Charles could no longer believer in a literal creation.  He believed the scholars claiming evolution happened over millions of years.  He parted from faith by intellectualizing the important matters of the bible.  He thought that science better explained things. 

Upon leaving the faith, he also divorced his wife and married another woman he had fallen in love with.

Fifty years later, Lee Strobel interviewed him and published the end of the account in A Case for Faith.

“And how do you assess this Jesus?” It seemed like the next logical question—but I wasn’t ready for the response it would evoke.

Templeton’s body language softened. It was as if he suddenly felt relaxed and comfortable in talking about an old and dear friend. His voice, which at times had displayed such a sharp and insistent edge, now took on a melancholy and reflective tone. His guard seemingly down, he spoke in an unhurried pace, almost nostalgically, carefully choosing his words as he talked about Jesus.

“He was,” Templeton began, “the greatest human being who has ever lived. He was a moral genius. His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that I’ve ever encountered in my life or in my readings. His commitment was total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world. What could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness?”

I was taken aback. “You sound like you really care about him,” I said.

“Well, yes, he is the most important thing in my life,” came his reply. “I . . . I . . . I . . . ,” he stuttered, searching for the right word, ‘I know it may sound strange, but I have to say . . . I adore him!” . . .

” . . . Everything good I know, everything decent I know, everything pure I know, I learned from Jesus. Yes . . . yes. And tough! Just look at Jesus. He castigated people. He was angry. People don’t think of him that way, but they don’t read the Bible. He had a righteous anger. He cared for the oppressed and exploited. There’s no question that he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest compassion, of any human being in history. There have been many other wonderful people, but Jesus is Jesus….’

“Uh . . . but . . . no,’ he said slowly, ‘he’s the most . . .” He stopped, then started again. “In my view,” he declared, “he is the most important human being who has ever existed.”

That’s when Templeton uttered the words I never expected to hear from him. “And if I may put it this way,” he said as his voice began to crack, ‘I . . . miss . . . him!”

With that tears flooded his eyes. He turned his head and looked downward, raising his left hand to shield his face from me. His shoulders bobbed as he wept. . . .

Templeton fought to compose himself. I could tell it wasn’t like him to lose control in front of a stranger. He sighed deeply and wiped away a tear. After a few more awkward moments, he waved his hand dismissively. Finally, quietly but adamantly, he insisted: “Enough of that.”

The ‘theory’ of evolution, which remains a theory today that is supported by no evidence was the doctrine of demons that stole the faith of this man – and no doubt, many others.  There are many deceiving spirits, antichrists and doctrines of demons that continue to confuse people today.  We are spiritual creatures.  If we don’t ground our spirit in God’s doctrine, then we’ll be drawn to all the other options the devil has provided. 

This is an example of apostasy.  In the latter days it will become prominent.  It's walking away from your former believe to join the world.  Paul noted back in chapter one that this was already going on in Ephesus.  He said in chapter one that Hymenaeus and Alexander were two that had suffered from the shipwreck of their faith (1:20). 

The false teachers were obvious when ‘speaking lies in hypocrisy.’  They were wolves in sheep’s clothing.  They portrayed themselves as Christian believers but their teachers were designed to draw people away from Christian doctrine.  Their own conscience was seared with a hot iron.  This is the idea of ‘branding’ with a hot iron.  A couple thoughts present themselves:

• They are marked by the devil as belonging to him.
• The searing of conscience is that it has become dead and unfeeling.  It no longer serves as a method for which the Spirit to speak.

Asceticism was on the rise.  Celibacy was becoming more popular.  It was even practiced in the Qumran community.  Some false teachers must have picked up on this as a doctrine they pushed upon the church. 

Abstaining from foods was another false teaching which probably picked up the Jewish dietary restrictions of the law and foisted them upon Christians.  Paul made it clear that these foods were created by God to be received with thanksgiving by those who know the truth.  We do not have the right to place restrictions on others or determine some creatures are bad.  The Lord declared them all good.

The church in Ephesus was suffering from apostasy and it's been going on since that time and will continue until Christ returns.  We also know from 2 Thessalonians 2 that there will be a great falling away as the end times approach.  Apostasy has been around as long as the church but it will be more profound as we approach the end. 

1 Timothy 4:6-11

Timothy's job was to instruct the people of Ephesus in good doctrine.  The good minister of Jesus Christ will be nourished in the words of faith and in good doctrine.  Everyone has a doctrine.  It’s the set of beliefs that rule over our life.  Because our sin nature, we desire to be enthroned and thereby determine our own doctrine.  However, the Lord is our creator and knows what is best for us.  Our doctrine should be a belief in Him and His ways for us. 

All around us, we see examples of churches that don’t just allow apostasy but invite it.  They have embraced doctrines of demons, hypocrisy and legalism in the name of tolerance.  Turning a blind eye to these things or allowing false teachings and bad doctrine disqualifies a pastor from being a good minister of Jesus Christ.  That's pretty cut and dried, yet, it's happening all around us.

This culture in Ephesus put a lot of emphasis on the body.  They idolized physical looks, strength and stamina.  They placed the athlete on a pedestal and put a crown on his head.  Paul's point was that physical exercise prophets some.  In this life it might have its benefits.  But to exercise yourself in godliness is profitable in all things, including this life and the next.  Ephesians put physical exercise at one level.  Paul said exercising in godliness is far above that because it has eternal consequences.

Paul assures Timothy, the church must be taught that it is beneficial in spite of how it appears to the world.  In the absence of sound teaching the world will ask why am I fighting this good fight?  Why am I in this battle?  For men in the church to entertain the profane and to give time to the old wives tails is incredibly irresponsible.  It's operating on a plane far below the eternal.  Yet, the eternal consequences don't go away.  To entertain men and women in the church with fables and profane doctrine is to set aside solid biblical doctrine.  For those that are saved, they never grow in the Lord and in the word.  They remain babies in the faith desiring the sweet milk that keeps them pacified.  We eat more than just cake and pie because we know there is something better and healthier for us, even though the pie and cake might be more desirable.

For those in the church who aren't saved, there is little or no chance to receive the Lord amidst the profane; in a vacuum that is void of solid doctrine; in a place that avoids truth.  The consequences are eternal.  Paul said that's why he and Timothy labored, that's why they were willing to suffer because it was so important and because they put their trust in the Living God.  The living God offers salvation to all men but grants it only to those who believe.  That's why he tells Timothy to command these things and teach these things.  Don't compromise.

How can we avoid deception, hypocrisy and legalism?  Isn't it interesting that none of these things have changed in all these years.  We are still fighting the same battles that Paul and Timothy fought.  These things are very real: deceiving spirits, doctrines of demons, lies in hypocrisy, legalisms, or adding to salvation by grace.  All these lead to apostasy, to falling away.  The first measure of defense is to know we are in a battle.  And then know that the God we serve is bigger than anything Satan throws at us.  And then we fill ourselves with God's word and truth and trust Him. 

It is a spiritual tug of war, but our anchor man is Jesus Christ.  He is immovable.   At times it feels like we are losing or things are going the wrong way and we forget the immovable nature of Christ.  We are to grab hold, dig in our heels and stay in the fight while trusting Him - even when it seems like it makes no sense, even when it feels like your alone, even when it's tempting to let go and join others who have let go. 

¹ Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. ² By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, ³ and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

NKJV; 1 John 4:1-3; 1982, Thomas Nelson

1 Timothy 4:12

It's interesting that Timothy's youth must have been somewhat of an issue.  The issue may have been Timothy attempting to defer to the older men in the church in humility.  Or it may have been the older men despising the youth of this young pastor.  What's interesting is that Timothy is somewhere around 30 years old at this time and Paul is about 70.  So the word 'youth' is relative isn't it?  That word for 'youth' in the Greek meant young men of fighting age, all the way up to age 40.  At that point you were too old to be a soldier.  So, you can imagine someone accusing the young 30-year-old Timothy of not be old enough; to not have lived enough life to be a good pastor.

Timothy may have made some youthful mistakes.  Common mistake of youth are a failure to step forward and take responsibility and an attempt to make everyone happy and never step on anyone's toes.  Whatever these youthful mistakes were, someone must have despised his youth because of it.  Paul's advice was to not listen to these things; instead be concerned about being consistent across every aspect of his life; in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity.  Timothy was to be a man of God.

Once again, we see the attention and priority given to the word of God; to preaching and teaching and to Doctrine.  Timothy received this gift of pastor/teacher.  It was confirmed with prophecy and with the laying on of hands by elders, his ordination was confirmed.  Paul saw this, he knew it, and there was no doubt in his mind.  And in that he reminded Timothy of the same.

When you put these verses in the overall context of the letter you once again see this possibility that Timothy was stepping away from his calling of pastor or that he was in some kind of crisis of faith.  Maybe he was just worn down and burnt out.  That's easy to imagine if he was battling the effects of the culture continuously.

1 Timothy 4:15

Right here next to this verse, in the margin of your bible you can write, "Have an unwavering commitment to the Lord."  Paul wanted Timothy to meditate on reading of scripture, exhortation and doctrine and then give himself completely over to these things.  That kind of commitment is rare and it will be evident to all.

The worst thing any pastor can do is fall down on his own personal devotion and meditation.  This happens many times when pastors get overwhelmed with all the other aspects of church & people.  Paul said if you are committed to these things it is evident to all.  In the same way, if you are not committed it also will be evident to all.

The word 'progress' is a military term in the Greek.  It means a pioneers advance.  This is the soldier that goes ahead of the other troops and prepares the way, identifies and eliminates obstacles and makes it possible for the rest to come in behind him.  As a pastor, Timothy was to be a pioneer, moving ahead and making his progress evident so others could follow.  You can picture this as Timothy on this path set before him.  It seems lonely, the way is blocked, the attacks are relentless.  But, Paul encourages Him in keeping on there in Ephesus.  With the attitude of a pioneer Timothy was to keep on.

There were 2 things this pastor needed to keep his eye on: himself and his doctrine.  He needs to make sure every aspect of his life reflects the God he serves.  And he needs to make sure what he teaches is sound doctrine and founded in the truth of the Lord. 

As a pastor or shepherd these 2 things were foundational.  A shepherd must guard himself first or he is of no use to the sheep.  His life must be set apart for God.  The Lord will pour into that man and part of what he pours in is doctrine.  Then, what the Lord has poured in will begin to be poured out to others. 

©2011, 2023 Doug Ford